The Path to Better Living with Food as Medicine

Do you know the path to better living with food as medicine?

In Nashville, healthcare is more than an industry. It’s a way of life.

At the recent Nashville Health Care Council Sessions, Mayor Freddie O’Connell proclaimed the inaugural Nashville Health Care Week, recognizing our city’s unmatched legacy of healthcare innovation, investment, and collaboration.

With more than 370,000 jobs supported, $72 billion in local economic impact, and 8,358 healthcare businesses growing 5.6% year-over-year, it’s clear why Nashville is known as The Healthcare City.

At Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, we believe food belongs in that conversation.

Neighbor receives fresh groceries from Second Harvest’s Food as Medicine program at a Mobile Market, supporting the path to better living. — Shonnekia is pre-diabetic and shares Second Harvest allows her to manage her cholesterol, sodium intake, and eat healthy and eat right

Through our Food Is Medicine (FIM) initiatives, we use healthy food and nutrition education as clinical tools to prevent and manage chronic diseases. But for food to truly act as medicine, neighbors need reliable, consistent access.

That’s why we operate Healthcare Pantries and other medically tailored interventions, including a 6-month intervention—providing both immediate relief and long-term support. These programs improve health outcomes and help neighbors build lasting wellness.

Thanks to the partnership of Ascension, HCA, Lifepoint, and Neighborhood Health, Second Harvest is proud to stand at the intersection of healthcare and hunger relief.

Together, we’re showing that food is more than fuel. The path to better living with food as medicine.